| dc.description.abstract | Abstract — In the field of competitive sports, optimal
performance is influenced by the physiological well-being of
the athletes, where hydration is a key factor that influences
their performance. The study aimed to assess the pre-practice
hydration status of national athletes in Sri Lanka. A cross sectional descriptive research design was employed. One
spontaneously voided urine sample was collected from each
athlete approximately one hour before the training session
and this sample was tested for Urine Specific Gravity (USG)
using a handheld refractometer. A fluid intake questionnaire
was utilized to identify the fluid intake patterns of the athletes
and to record the onset menstruation dates of the female
national athletes. Using a multistage sample technique, 89
national athletes (60.67% female and 39.33% male)
representing both team and individual sport categories were
chosen for this study. The collected data were analysed using
descriptive statistics and Pearson’s Chi-square test. The
results of the Urine Specific Gravity measurements revealed
that 51.69% of the athletes were Dehydrated with a mean
USG of 1.036 ± 0.002, 31.46% appeared Hypohydrated with
a mean USG of 1.024 ± 0.001 and 16.85% of the athletes
appeared Euhydrated with a mean USG of 1.0125 ± 0.013.
The results indicated there was no association in the pre practice hydration status of National Athletes in Sri Lanka
with gender differences (x2 =1.6028, p >0.05). Through the
fluid intake questionnaire, it was identified that in women,
there was no significant association of menstruation phases
(follicular phase and luteal phase) with the pre-practice
hydration status (x2 = 0.41913, p >0.05). The study highlights
the importance of tailored hydration strategies to optimize the
health and performance of National level athletes in Sri
Lanka. | en_US |
